Digital technology replaces x-ray film in Northland DHB hospitals

New digital technology is set to replace the use of film in radiology departments in Northland DHB hospitals.

The Picture Archiving and Communication System - PACS - is being installed at Whangarei Hospital, with digital links to Dargaville, Bay of Islands and Kaitaia hospitals. Once the system goes live in early March, images will no longer be printed on film for examination. Instead they will be called up on screen for staff to make a diagnosis.


The PACS system stores and retrieves detailed medical images using a very large database. The images can be stored indefinitely, with back-up systems in place to protect data. They can be electronically transmitted from one site to another, or transferred on a disc. The PACS system will be used for all imaging, including ultrasound, CT and MRI scans.

Patients needing to take images to another appointment will no longer be sent off with a large piece of film, but instead will be given DVDs or CDROMs.

Anne Cann, Northland DHB PACS Manager, said the new system would have major advantages for Northland. She said: "Images can be called up immediately and reviewed, giving savings in clinician time. There will be no more need for film to be sent from the regional hospitals to Whangarei for diagnosis, and there will be no more lost images.

"Patients in the regional hospitals can have images viewed at Whangarei at the same time as someone looking at them in Kaitaia or Dargaville. This means doctors in those hospitals can have immediate specialist support to review the images, and discuss patient options."

The system is already in use by several other DHBs in New Zealand. There is capacity to share images with other DHBs, for example those in Auckland, in order to seek a second opinion or where the patient's care is shared.

Access to the PACS system will be limited to those who need to view images, to ensure that patient privacy is protected. Patients wishing to receive a copy of their x-ray image will have to go through the same process as previously, by making a written request and proving their identity.



-Ends-



For further information, please contact:

Clare Blackburn, Communications Manager

Northland District Health Board 

Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 3315